Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (styled as MARIOKART Double Dash!! and abbreviated to MKDD) is a racing video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube. It is the fourth game in the ''Mario Kart'' series. Gameplay Double Dash!!'s gameplay vastly differs from and improves on its predecessors in many ways; since the player can pick not one character, but two - one to drive, and one to use items. In addition, the player is able to use karts that are not the characters' (Mario and Luigi can use Yoshi's kart, for example) depending on their class, whether they are heavyweight, middleweight, or lightweight. Not only this, the power slide has been improved; if the player makes blue sparks while power sliding, a mini turbo is performed. The rocket start is also improved as the Double Dash!!, in which both team members perform it when the Pre-race countdown is finished. There are sixteen courses to race on. Each cup features four tracks. Five different cup races are available, one of which is the All Cup Tour, featuring all sixteen tracks in random order (except for the first, Luigi Circuit, and the last, Rainbow Road). Each track is also playable in "Mirror Mode," where the tracks are mirrored; however, Mirror Mode is only available for 150cc. This installment also features multiplayer battle modes. As in previous installments, the battle arenas are enclosed, with varying architecture and a constant arsenal. In addition to the balloon-popping game, which has been the standard Mario Kart battle game, two new battle systems are included. The first, called "Shine Thief", involves capturing a Shine Sprite and maintaining possession of it for a set time period. The second, called "Bob-omb Blast", uses only colored Bob-ombs, and utilizes a trade-off point system that requires the players to succeed in attacks, while also avoiding those directed at them. Both battle modes have returned in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Aside from the many drivers available, numerous other Mario characters play minor roles in the game. Lakitu reprises his role as the referee, signaling the start of each race, alerting players when they complete a lap, warning them when they are going the wrong way, and returning drivers to the racetrack when they fall into dangerous areas. Shy Guys, Piranha Plants, Goombas, and Wigglers are also present in the game, and serve as obstacles for the driver to avoid. Toadsworth drives the winners of a cup during the victory celebration. Piantas and Nokis from Super Mario Sunshine also cheer players on certain courses, such as Peach Beach and Daisy Cruiser, and form much of the crowd at victory ceremonies (held at Peach Beach). Classic Mario series characters, including Donkey Kong Jr., can be seen in the crowds around Waluigi Stadium. The game includes 21 karts to choose from. They are categorized by weight. Generally, lightweight karts have good acceleration and handling, and are easily able to traverse rough terrain, but have low top speeds, can be knocked around by larger karts, and can only hold light characters. Heavyweight karts usually have high top speeds, can knock around many smaller karts, but they have poor acceleration, steering, off-road handling, and can only be manned if there is at least one heavy character. Middleweight karts' performance are well-balanced, but they cannot hold heavy characters. However, there are exceptions to this, such as the Barrel Train and Boo Pipes. Of 21 karts available in all, only eight are available from the start. The other 13 may be unlocked by successfully completing races and finishing the game. Although everyone has one kart, the twenty-first kart is the Parade Kart that Toadsworth uses to drive the first place winners. This kart the best stat ratio (4 stars for speed and weight; 3 stars for acceleration) and any combination of characters can drive it, but it takes the longest to recover from flipping over. A notable attribute of Double Dash!! is that it allows LAN play using the GameCube broadband adapter. Up to eight GameCubes can be connected, allowing for 16 player multiplayer games (two players controlling each kart). Teams Initially playable Mario y Lugi (mkdd).png|Mario's Team Peach y Daisy (mkdd).png|Peach's Team Yoshi y Birdo (mkdd).png|Yoshi's Team Baby Mario y Baby Luigi (mkdd).png|Baby Mario's Team Koopa Troopa y Paratroopa (mkdd).jpeg|Koopa's Team Donkey Kong y Diddy Kong (mkdd).JPG|Donkey Kong's Team Wario y Waluigi (mkdd).jpeg|Wario's Team Bowser y Bowser Jr. (mkdd).jpg|Bowser's Team Unlockable Toad y Toadette (mkdd).jpeg|Toad's Team Petey Phraña y Rey Boo (mkdd).jpeg|Petey Piranha's Team Karts Each character has one kart. Tracks Battle courses Image:Battle Track Icons DD.png|center|650px rect 0 0 242 129 Cookie Land rect 242 0 484 129 Block City rect 484 0 727 129 Luigi's Mansion rect 0 0 242 258 Nintendo GameCube rect 242 0 484 258 Pipe Plaza rect 484 0 727 258 Tilt-A-Kart Items Normal Items Special Items Every character has their own special item. Different combinations means a wide variety of items. For example, if someone were to play as Toadette, another player were to play as Baby Mario/Luigi and they controlled the kart together, they would be able to get Golden Mushrooms and the Chain Chomp occasionally. Unlocking Criteria Almost all cups in the game will unlock something new once the player completes it. Here is a list: Gallery Soundtrack Trivia! *This is the first Mario Kart game to feature Shine Thief and Bob-omb Blast. *This is the only Mario Kart game to have two players on a kart. *This is (by far) the only Mario Kart ''game to have Petey Piranha as a playable character. *This is (by far) the only ''Mario Kart ''game to have Toad as an unlockable character. *This is the last ''Mario Kart game to feature only new courses. *A first run production of the game included a limited bonus disc inside the case in a second holder with exclusive content related to other Nintendo games. *This is the first Mario Kart game that has more than two battle courses, the second being Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. *This is the first Mario Kart game that has "Mirror Mode" (though Mario Kart 64 has Extra Mode). *Oddly enough the retro tracks for Mario Kart: Double Dash!! ''are labeled GCN which stands for GameCube Nintendo. It should be initially written as NGC which makes it called Nintendo GameCube, which is used that way in Japan. External Links *[http://mariokart.com/doubledash The official ''Mario Kart Double Dash!! website] de:Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Category:Games Category:Home console games * Category:Mario Kart series